Following a vote this morning in the Senate Finance Committee, U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) called on Congress to extend funding immediately for the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP). Funding for CHIP, which serves close to nine million children across the country and about 100,000 children in Michigan through MIChild, expired on September 30th.

"It is unacceptable that Congress failed to meet the deadline to extend critical funding for children's health insurance," said Senator Stabenow. "Because of this inaction, we could see cancellation notices going out to families, wait lists or enrollment changes, and - ultimately - kids could be unable to see their doctor. There is no reason why the full Senate cannot take up my bipartisan bill to fund CHIP and pass it immediately."

Last month, Senator Stabenow introduced the Keeping Kids' Insurance Dependable and Secure (KIDS) Act, bipartisan legislation to ensure stability for vulnerable children by extending funding for the Children's Health Insurance Program for five years.

Senator Stabenow has also led a bipartisan push for Congress to extend funding for community health centers, which expired over the weekend. Community health centers are a critical component of the nation's primary care network, serving approximately 26 million patients at over 10,000 sites throughout the United States.